UAE-Israel ties develop, Israir requests direct flights to UAE

On August 17, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin extended an invitation in Arabic to HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and UAE’s deputy commander-in-chief of the armed forces, to visit Israel after the two countries agreed on normalisation of ties. The invitation was to visit “Israel and Jerusalem and be our honoured guest.”

“I have no doubt that future generations will appreciate the way you, the brave and wise leaders, have restarted the discourse on peace, trust, dialogue between peoples and religions, cooperation, and a promising future,” Rivlin said, in the letter to HH Sheikh Mohammed.

Direct flights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Israel is in talks to have direct flights to the UAE flying over Saudi airspace, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said on a visit to Ben-Gurion Airport on August 17. Israir has already put in a request to begin direct flights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, he said.

“It is a short flight of three hours, like to Rome, but it will greatly change Israeli aviation and the economy, with a great number of tourists on both sides and a great number of investments,” Netanyahu said.

According to The Jerusalem Post, the Israeli prime minister said that Emiratis are interested in “massive investment” in Israeli technology, and that free trade zones in the Emirates will allow for inexpensive goods to be imported into Israel. “It is a boost to the Israeli economy and good for every citizen,” he added. Direct flights to the UAE will make flying to and from Israel easier for many people and also shorten travel time from Israel to East Asia and Oceania.

The Israel Foreign Ministry confirmed that staff on the ground is searching for a site in Abu Dhabi for the Israeli Embassy.

On August 17, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said that his country’s new ties with Israel was not aimed at targeting Iran after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the agreement a betrayal. The UAE summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires in Abu Dhabi on August 16 to give a strong note of protest against the ‘inflammatory’ speech.

“The UAE-Israeli peace treaty is a sovereign decision that is not directed at Iran,” Gargash tweeted. “We do not accept interference in our decisions, just as we reject threats and threats… Strategic decisions are transformative and have their impact and our decision on our future enhances our position and our competitiveness.”
The agreement makes the UAE the third Arab country, after Egypt and Jordan, to have full, active diplomatic ties with Israel.

Mossad chief Yossi Cohen visits UAE
Interestingly, Yossi Cohen, the chief of Israel’s foreign intelligence agency Mossad, visited the UAE for security talks on August 18. Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE National Security Adviser, praised the efforts made by Cohen which contributed to the success of the peace accord between the UAE and Israel. They discussed “cooperation in the fields of security”.

Oman’s support
Meanwhile, Oman’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah spoke over the telephone to his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi on August 17 about “recent developments in the region,” the Sultanate’s foreign ministry said on Twitter.
Oman, along with Bahrain, had already expressed its support for the deal, and Bin Alawi told Ashkenazi that Muscat “clearly reaffirms its position calling for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace” in the Middle East.